Icicles
by TheExtremeWriter
Summary: The Ice Ninja Academy, hidden in the mountains, was the final Academy to be destroyed by Lothor. A young Ice Ninja, Noelle, finds herself fighting beside the Wind and Thunder Ninjas in a race against time, and their enemies. (Starts before Return of Thunder, Part 1)
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

In a quiet room, Noelle sat cross legged on the floor in her pure white and silver ninja attire. Meditating deeply, she wished to be left alone beneath the Ice Ninja Academy. It was her daily routine. After classes ended, Noelle would seek a private place to think and relax while learning to control her powers. Ice is unpredictable, out of control, and Noelle always tried her best to contain her powers. Lifting her hands and opening her blue eyes, she channeled power into her palms, icicles covering her pale skin.

Humming successfully, she smiled, and let the ice melt away. Running her hand through her blonde hair, she sighed and took a deep breath, returning to her exercises. Quickly, she began to harness the power once more as it grew.

Though she remained in deep concentration, she could feel the ground shaking. Confused, she let go of her train of thought, and stood up, about to leave to see what was happening that was causing such a ruckus. Before she could exit the room, Sensei Katsumi bursted in, her face filled with panic.

"Sensei, what's going on?" Noelle asked worriedly. The older woman, who was the leader of the Ice Academy, tried to catch her breath as she spoke.

"Lothor has returned. The academy is under attack. I need you to stay here and take this box. In here holds the key to unlocking your future." She told Noelle, handing her a wooden box covered in white designs. It was old, and felt light, but Noelle had a feeling something important was inside. "If the Academy is lost, go to Blue Bay Harbor, it is not too far from here. Find Sensei Watanabe. He will tell you everything you need to know."

"But Sensei I don't understand. Why me?" The blonde girl asked. The older woman attempted to smile.

"Child, from the day you stepped foot onto the grounds of this Academy, I knew you were special. Your veins are filled with the power of ice, but your heart is fiery and spirited. You will succeed, I know you will." She said, embracing Noelle before running out of the room. The student was left in the dust, alone as the ground began to shake once more. It was filled with vengeance, fury. Noelle tried to remain brave, but it felt as though her world was starting to crumble.

What seemed like hours passed as Noelle remained in the same room. The shaking had stopped, and her pacing had started. She was anxiously awaiting Sensei Katsumi's return, but in the back of her mind, she knew she was gone. Deciding that enough was enough, Noelle cautiously exited the room, and walked up the stairs into the fresh air.

The remaining flames roared along the grounds of the Ice Ninja Academy. Ashen buildings stood, and looked like they were about to collapse. The grounds were no longer green and crisp, instead the grass was singed. The academy was deserted. Tears pricked Noelle's eyes, but she held them back as she walked carefully towards the forest. Turning around to take one last look at what once was her safe haven, she saw three figures in the distance. A tall man, and two medium sized women. His aura was dark, which made her feel strange. _Lothor_.

"Get her!" He called. And the two girls ran towards her. Noelle gasped, and bolted. Ashes from the buildings sprung up from the ground, spotting her white clothing as she dodged through the forest. Looking behind her every so often, she saw the women gaining on her. They blasted at her multiple times with dark energy, which hit her in multiple places. She was growing weaker. Making a quick decision, she ninja streaked away.

Noelle opened her eyes dizzily, as ninja streaking wasn't her strongest skill. Looking around, she saw unfamiliar surroundings. She was in the forest, but it wasn't **her **forest. It seemed sunnier, brighter. Trying to catch her breath, and hoping her vision wouldn't be blurry, she limped through the trees, hoping to find anyone to help her. Leaning against trees every now and again, she felt sick, her skin beginning to flush. While walking, she looked into the distance to see two forms. She tried to walk towards them, hoping that they could help her, but ended up collapsing onto the leaves, the wooden box falling right next to her. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a blur of crimson and navy.


	2. Frozen Friends

**CHAPTER ONE**

Noelle's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself lying in a room on a bed. Sitting up, she looked down at herself to see she was still in her white ninja outfit, which was covered in ash, and her cuts and scrapes along her arms and legs were covered in bandage. Anxiously standing up, she made her way over to the door in the room, and opened it to walk into a large room.

Panic crossed her face as she looked around at the unfamiliar setting. She was underground, that she could tell, but the room was open, and an boy sat in front of a set of computers. A darker skinned boy, a blonde girl, and another boy stood around a table. All of them looked over to her as soon as she entered. Noelle stared back at them, confused and timid.

"Where am I?" She asked them, gazing around.

"You're at our headquarters. In Blue Bay Harbor. We're from the Wind Ninja Academy." The darker skinned boy told her. She looked shocked.

"Wait, I'm in Blue Bay Harbor? How did I get here? I Ninja streaked to a forest, and the last thing I remembered was collapsing holding-" She stopped mid sentence and remembered something. The box. As she desperately looked around, the boy in yellow knew exactly what she was looking for. Quickly running to a cabinet, he pulled out the wooden and white box, and handed it to her. Relief flood over her face. "Thank you." The girl in blue nodded.

"We found you lying outside of our headquarters. All of your wounds and scrapes were bandaged. We don't know how you got here though." She explained. Noelle furrowed her brow. She then remembered who she had seen before passing out. Though her memory was blurry, two figures were prominent in her mind. Then she spoke.

"The last thing I saw were figures in crimson and navy-" She started, but she was interrupted by the boy sitting by the computers.

"Wait, crimson and navy?" He questioned, turning around in his chair. Noelle nodded. The four teenagers looked at each other with pained expressions. Those two colors hit home for them.

"Hunter and Blake." The boy in red gasped, and said under his breath. the girl in blue nodded, but seemed to ignore it. Turning back to Noelle, she smiled.

"Nevermind that. How are you feeling?" The girl asked.

"I'm okay, I guess. Mostly confused. But I need your help. I'm looking for Sensei Watanabe. Do you know where I could find him?" She asked. Suddenly a voice came from behind her.

"I am here, Ice Warrior." She locked eyes with a guinea pig. She looked to the others, who nodded, and afterwards, she bowed to the Sensei.

"Sensei Watanabe, my name is Noelle Jacobs. The Ice Ninja Academy has been destroyed by Lothor. Sensei Katsumi, during the attack, gave me this box," She explained, holding out the box. "And told me to find you here in Blue Bay Harbor." Sensei Watanabe nodded.

"Yes, I understand. Noelle, open the box." He told her. Following his instructions, Noelle unlocked the box, and opened it to find a piece of technology of some sort. It was pure white, with snowflake design on it. She lifted it and held it in her hand. It was light, but she could feel it's energy. "That is a morpher. Though this may sound surprising, you have been selected to fight alongside the Wind Ninjas to defeat Lothor. If you choose to accept, you will defend the world from his evil." Sensei Watanabe explained.

Noelle thought back to when her Sensei handed her the box and told her she was special. All her life, Noelle wanted to be apart of something bigger than herself. She wanted to do something for the greater good, and not just for her own sake. Holding the morphed up to the light, she saw it glint, and she could see her reflection. Sliding it onto her wrist, it clicked, and she smirked.

"I would be honored to join you." She said to Sensei Watanabe and the others. They smiled. The boy in red came up to her.

"My name is Shane. That's Tori, Dustin, and Cam. Welcome to the team."

"Noelle." She replied, with a smile. Then, a thought crossed her mind. "Sensei, where will I stay?" He nodded.

"You are welcome to stay here in the headquarters. We have some extra rooms." Cam replied. Noelle smiled.

"Thank you."

"Come on, Noelle, we'll give you the grand tour of Blue Bay. I have some extra clothes that you can borrow for now." Tori smirked, glad to finally have another girl on the team.


	3. Return of Thunder (Part One)

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Noelle, that dress looks great on you. Better than it ever did on me." Tori said as the four teens sat at Storm Chargers. Noelle had changed into a white sundress that Tori had sitting in the back of her closet. Her dirty blonde hair was down, flowing over her shoulders. She smiled.

"Thanks." Noelle replied, smoothing it out instinctively. Suddenly, a man burst through the door. He looked important, with his head up high and his chest out. He walked over to the store manager, Kelly.

"Hello, miss. Have you seen two young men by the names of Hunter and Blake Bradley?"

Shane, Tori, and Dustin froze, and looked towards the man. Seeing who it was, Dustin got extremely excited and ran to the back of the store to grab something. Tori looked over to the man, and went to go talk with him as Dustin reappeared with a video tape of him biking. Noelle turned to Shane.

"Who are Hunter and Blake?" She asked. Shane sighed and began talking in a hushed tone.

"Hunter and Blake are brothers. They were two students from the Thunder Ninja Academy who received morphers. When their academy was attacked, Lothor kidnapped them and used them to try to destroy us. We became friends with them when they were in regular form, but when they became rangers, they turned against us against their own will. We helped them break the spell, and then they went off to go and explore the world." He explained. Shane looked to make sure Tori was occupied, and then he leaned in to whisper something to Noelle. "We think Tori likes one of them. That's why she's hoping he'll come back."

Noelle nodded. "So you think it's them who brought me to Ninja Ops?" She asked. He nodded.

"If you saw crimson and navy, they are the only two who wear those colors." Shane stated. Tori came and sat back down after the man left. Dustin sighed in defeat and sat next to her.

"I'm going to go for a ride. Dustin can I use your bike?" She asked. Begrudgingly, he nodded. "Noelle, I trust that you will keep these two idiots in line while I'm gone?" She asked with a smirk.

"Of course." Noelle replied. Tori turned and walked to the back, disappearing through a doorway. Noelle turned to Dustin and Shane. "So, what do people do for fun around here?" Shane smirked.

"We ride. Well, I do. Shane skates." Dustin explained. "I can't believe that guy wouldn't watch my video. That could've been my big break."

"Well, is there a coffee shop around here? I'm exhausted. I need some, stat." Noelle said with a laugh.

"Yeah, It's right down the road, it's-"

"Dustin! Time to work your shift." Kelly called. He sighed, and with a nod, walked behind the counter. Shane continued.

"He was going to say it's right down the street. If you're going to go and get some coffee, I'm going to go back to Ninja Ops. Do you know the way back?" Shane asked as he stood up. Noelle nodded. "Alright great, well I'll see you later." He said as he walked out. Noelle stood up and looked over to Dustin who was busy working on a bike. With a smile, she exited Storm Chargers.

As she entered the outdoors, the sun shone onto her pale skin, the sky bluer than blue. She loved this kind of weather. Though she was an ice ninja, she didn't like being in the cold that often. As she walked down the street, something seemed peculiar to her. There weren't many people milling around. Granted, it was Sunday, but still, it seemed strange.

Noelle opened the door of the coffee shop and walked in, a pleasant aroma of coffee beans overtaking her senses. Going up to the counter she ordered an iced coffee. She smirked a little when she thought about the Ice Ninja ordering an iced drink. Walking out with coffee in hand, she continued to walk down the road next to the beach, which was peaceful and serene. She drank her drink rather quickly, and threw it out before continuing on.

Making her way toward the forest, she heard the small roar of an engine behind her. Whipping around quickly, she saw behind her a figure dressed in crimson on a bike moving in her direction. Turning back around, she continued walking, but the engine was following her. Suddenly, the bike pulled out in front of her, blocking her path, causing Noelle to gasp. Swiftly, the driver pulled off his helmet, revealing a head of blonde hair and a warm smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He explained, his eyes glinting.

"Are you...? Did you...?" She started, but couldn't finish before he interrupted.

"Yeah, I'm Hunter. I'm guessing they told you about me." He replied with a laugh. "And yeah, my brother Blake and I were the ones who found you in the woods. Sorry if your bandages are put on weirdly, I'm not the best at first aid. How are you feeling?" He asked, getting off of his bike and walking towards her, revealing his height. She was confused slightly, but answered his question.

"I'm okay. Feeling a bit better, but still, not great." She replied.

"That's good. Hey, I'm sorry about the Ice Academy." He said. Once again she gave him a confused look. "You were wearing your Ninja Robes when we found you. Ice Academy logo." Suddenly everything clicked, and she felt a little less uneasy.

"It's fine. I just want revenge, that's all." Noelle stated with a grim look, thinking back to seeing the Ice Academy as a plain of ash. "But thank you." A silence fell over the two, but it was broken by Hunter.

"Don't you think it's a little unfair that you know my name and I don't know yours?" He asked with a smile.

"It's Noelle." She brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, looking at the ground trying to hide a flush that crossed her cheeks. Hunter saw this and smirked.

"Well Noelle, what if I told you I know a way for you to get your revenge?" Her ears perked up, her eyes coming up from the ground to look into Hunter's.

"I'm listening..."

"We can get onto Lothor's ship. Choobo, one of Lothor's henchmen, said he's betraying Lothor, so he can give us access. We could ambush him."

"Is Choobo trustworthy? It could it be a trap."

"Yeah, he's definitely trustworthy." Hunter told her. "You should go and tell the rest of your team. Were you on your way back to Ninja Ops? Need a lift?" He asked, motioning to his bike.

"Yeah, I am. But it's fine, I'd rather walk. Thank you though." Noelle said with a smirk, eager to go and tell her team about the offer. Hunter walked the short distance to his bike.

"Be careful. You can never know what is lurking in these woods." He remarked, climbing onto his bike. "It was nice meeting you, Noelle." He said, strapping on his helmet and revving up his engine. Before he drove away though, Noelle called his name.

"Hunter?" She asked. He flipped up his visor so his face was showing. "Thanks for, you know, finding me and taking me to where I needed to be. " He grinned a toothy grin.

"Anytime, Miss Ice." He said with a flirty edge, and then flipped down his visor. In one swift movement, he rode off towards the beach. Noelle smirked, running towards Ninja Ops.


	4. Return of Thunder (Part One) (Continued)

**CHAPTER THREE**

Noelle burst into Ninja Ops to find herself face to face with Shane, Tori, Dustin, and Cam. They turned around to look at her, and saw the flush on her cheeks, that hadn't disappeared since her interaction with the Crimson Thunder Ranger.

"Hey, Noelle, come over here. Tori, tell her what Blake told you." Cam said while Noelle walked over. Tori turned to her.

"Blake told me that he can get us access-" She started, but Noelle interrupted.

"To Lothor's ship. I know." Noelle stated simply, sitting down on top of the table in the middle of the room. The rangers stared at her, speechless. Dustin tried to put two and two together, but he failed to find an answer.

"But how..." He trailed off. Tori looked at the girl in white's flushed cheeks and was able to put the pieces together.

"Where did you meet him?" She smirked, turning to the other boys and mouthing _Hunter_. Noelle laughed.

"In the forest by the beach. I was walking back to Ninja Ops. He told me about his encounter with Choobo, but I don't think he's trustworthy. Why would one of Lothor's goons try to make amends?" She replied. Shane nodded.

"I agree with Noelle. How do we know if we can trust him?" The red ranger asked Tori. The blonde struggled to find an answer, and then caved.

"I guess."

"I third the motion. Choobo simply can't be trusted. Meeting adjourned." Cam stated, returning to his computer. Dustin and Shane started to talk, and Tori stood looking defeated. She walked closer to Noelle.

"So..." She asked with a laugh. Noelle gave her a look. Then she started to laugh too, causing the two girls to laugh in sync. The boys looked at them like they were crazy, but shrugged it off, returning to their work.

* * *

Hunter and Blake boarded Lothor's ship. Cautiously, they walked around, trying to find the way to the main room. Before they could go any further, a beam shot at them, freezing them mid-motion. Choobo and Lothor emerged from the shadows, grinning menacingly.

"Excellent work, Choobo." Lothor cackled. "What's the next step?"

"Wipe their minds clean, and make them go against their Wind Ranger friends once more." Choobo giggled maniacally.

"Brilliant _General_ Choobo. Now quickly, let's get started."

* * *

It had been a couple of days since Noelle arrived in Blue Bay Harbor. Between training, shopping, and hanging out with her new friends, time had passed rather quickly. She was in Ninja Ops, taking a nap, when she heard Dustin come in, talking extremely loudly to Cam about something. Grumbling as his piercing voice woke her from her slumber, she climbed off of her bed, changed into a white top and shorts, and walked into the main room, pulling her hair into a ponytail in the process.

"What are you screeching about Dusty?" Noelle asked, yawning.

"It's Hunter and Blake. They came into Storm Chargers and acted like I didn't exist. And they were all menacing and- Did I wake you?" He started, but then asked guiltily when he saw her tired eyes.

"Yeah, but it's fine." She replied, standing upright when he mentioned they boys' strange behavior. The last time she saw Hunter was the first time she saw him, so she had no idea why they'd be ignoring them. Tori and Shane walked into Ops. Dustin began telling them what was going on when Cam interrupted them.

"Guys, there's a situation down by the old warehouse. One of Lothor's monsters." He explained. The four teens nodded, racing out of Ninja Ops and towards the scene.

One they got there, they were face to face with an ugly looking monster.

"Rangers! I am Toxipod. Come face your worst enemy yet!" The monster laughed.

"Does something stink, or is that just me." Noelle asked. Tori groaned.

"Let's get him."

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, HA!" Tori, Shane, and Dustin cried, morphing into their ranger uniforms: blue, red, and yellow respectively.

"Ice Storm, Ranger Form, HA!" Noelle called, morphing into her sleek white ranger suit. It was similar to Tori's except the symbol on her chest was a snowflake, and her suit was white as snow.

Toxipod cackled as he had a trick up his sleeve. "Rangers, you won't be fighting me. I think you need to meet your match." He said as he motioned behind them. The rangers turned to face Crimson and Navy Thunder Rangers.

"Wind Rangers. Ice Ranger. Prepare to be destroyed." Blake said robotically, laughing. They charged.

"Blake you can't do this! We're your friends!" Tori screamed as she fought her friend beside Dustin. Blake pushed her down.

"Friend's? More like enemies." He cackled. On the other side of the lot, Noelle and Shane were battling against Hunter. He was beating them easily, his powers stronger due to Lothor's power. After Shane had been pushed to the side, Hunter charged at Noelle, flinging her into wall of the warehouse.

"Hunter, please. You've got to remember!" She cried as he towered over her. He pounced, but she quickly ran around him, causing for him to spin and fall, and give her a chance to run. He quickly rebounded, walking towards her.

"Miss Ice, there's nothing to remember." He evilly stated. She paused.

"What did you just call me?" She asked, backing up as he started to corner her. Her memory went to their first meeting.

_"Anytime, Miss Ice." He said with a flirty edge, and then flipped down his visor. In one swift movement, he rode off towards the beach. _

This angered her. His memories were there, but he wasn't listening to them. Suddenly, Blake cried out in pain, clutching his head. Hunter ran off from Noelle and towards his brother. Together, they Ninja Streaked away. The rangers were left to fight Toxipod.

Towards the end of the battle, they called for their Zords. Noelle discovered that her's was a Snow Leopard, and together, all of the Zords formed the Mega Zord. As they destroyed Toxipod, the Thunder Rangers reappeared in their Mega Zord, and they fought on a larger scale. Suddenly a bright light froze the two teams, and they disappeared, the teens going unconscious in the process.

* * *

Shane opened his eyes to find himself on an island. Standing up and looking around, he called for help. No one responded.


	5. Return of Thunder (Part Two)

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Hello?" Shane called again. "Is anyone out there?" Walking around, the red wind ninja tried to figure out where he was. Looking in front of him, behind him, and on all other sides, he tried to find some source of civilization. Where was he? Suddenly as he was walking, he heard a groaning coming from behind a bush. Quickly and cautiously going over, he looked down to see Noelle just waking up. "Noelle!"

"Why do I feel like I've just been run over by a monster truck?" She asked, holding her head. Shane offered his hand, pulling her up and setting her on her feet. Noelle scanned the area. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea. But, if you're here, that means Tori and Dustin are too. Let's go find them." Shane stated as he started walking, Noelle following close behind.

It wasn't long until they found their friends. Tori was by the beach, and Dustin was in a wooded area. "Tori, look where Blake's plan got us. You were the one who wanted us to trust them. If we didn't fight them, we wouldn't be here right now." Shane said stubbornly.

"Shane, that's not nice. It wasn't her fault." Noelle glared. Tori gave Shane a mean look. The red wind ninja motioned for the others to follow as he started heading north. Dustin looked to Tori and Noelle.

"Jeez. Maybe we should trade him in for another ranger. Maybe a green one?" He nonchalantly added. The girls laughed and pulled him along as they hurried to follow Shane. They walked along the beach and tried to find anyone who could help them.

* * *

What seemed like hours passed of the Ninjas walking around the island, trying to find anyone to help them. Noelle had insisted that the team took a break, sitting around a large tree in the forest. Shane sighed as he tried to make a map of the island as they had seen it.

"This is useless. Have you tried communicating to Cam again?" Noelle asked him. He gave her a tired look as he dropped the stick, shaking his head. The rest of the team sighed, trying to figure out a plan of action. Suddenly, as they were sitting there, they heard snapping of twigs on the ground.

Turning around, they were face to face with an unmorphed Hunter and Blake. Shocked to see them, the ninjas got to their feet. Instinctively, Shane and Dustin stepped forward.

"Hunter, Blake. It's us. You gotta snap out of it." Dustin said. The boys shook their heads.

"Wind and Ice ninjas. Your time has come." Blake stated with a devilish grin. Hunter nodded, and the two got into fighting position. The Wind and Ice Ninjas looked at each other unsurely, not wanting to fight their friends. "Aw, the poor little ninjas are afraid. We'll take you down easily." Blake cooed and then laughed evilly. Noelle was fuming. It took a lot for her to lose her cool. She got into a fighting stance, and Blake charged at her. The two began to battle it out, causing Hunter to start punching and fighting with the other ninjas.

The fight between Blake and Noelle became full of rage. Ferocious kicks and jabs were thrown by both of them. They moved around trees and darted through the woods. Tori, Blake, and Shane were occupied with Hunter, who was even more vicious. Their fight slowly moved them back to the beach, where Blake and Hunter decided to morph.

"Thunder storm, ranger form, HA!" They cried, becoming coated in their crimson and navy attire. The wind and ice ninjas once again exchanged looks, silently deciding to morph as well.

"Ninja storm, ranger form, HA!"

"Ice storm, ranger form, HA!"

The rangers continued to fight, now using their powers to defend themselves. Noelle had started to fight Hunter with Dustin as Tori and Shane fought Blake. His hits were rough, but it was nothing she couldn't take. She counteracted his movements and knocked him to the ground, but he got up quickly. Dustin threw a few good hits before he was knocked aside by Hunter, leaving Noelle alone to fight with him.

Blake and Shane were going at it, and Tori stepped in to finish Blake off, but he was too strong. Blake kicked them both to the ground.

Noelle wasn't as strong as Hunter. He forcefully kicked her, causing her to fly into the sand, demorphing in the process. Hunter walked menacingly towards the girl, and saw her eyes, which were scared and timid as she clutched her stomach. Suddenly, memories flooded back into his head. He yelled out in pain as he began to remember everything, giving Noelle the chance to run to her friends. Blake went over to his brother. While they were distracted, the rangers were able to scurry up from the ground and take them down, striking them for the last time, demorphing.

Everything seemed to be quiet, until the brothers groaned.

"My head. What happened?" Hunter asked. He looked up to see his friends morphed except for Noelle. He looked into her eyes and remembered slowly what he had done. Blake looked at Shane, who offered him a hand to help him up. "I didn't mean...I wasn't..." Hunter started, but Noelle placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. Don't worry." She told him. Before she could say anything else, a beam of light shone onto the beach, revealing Choobo and Toxipod in a renewed form.

"Rangers! Prepare to meet your doom!" Toxipod cried. All of the rangers re-morphed, ready to battle. Suddenly, Toxipod shot something at the rangers, and it was heading in the direction of the Thunder Rangers. Not thinking, Noelle stood in front of them, taking the shot for them, and falling to the ground. Green radiated over her body as she felt her will slipping to Lothor. Hunter knelt down to check on her, but she quickly jumped up, moving away from them towards Toxipod, who cackled.

"That was not my intention, but this is even better! Lothor will be so pleased. Ice Ranger, those are your enemies! They were the ones who destroyed your beloved academy!"

"If that is so, they must be destroyed!" Noelle fumed, taking a fighting stance.

"No! Noelle don't listen to him!" Tori cried, trying to reach her friend. "You're one of us!" Noelle laughed.

"If you think I'm one of you, then you're crazy. I work alone." She stated, charging towards the rangers. The Wind and Thunder rangers didn't want to fight their newest ally. But unfortunately, it was their only hope of winning her back. She summoned power that was incredible, and took out all of the rangers. Super Toxipod joined her, taking out Tori and causing her to unmorph. Before the duo could do anymore damage, The rangers streaked away, leaving Noelle standing with Toxipod.

"Ice Ranger, you must destroy them." Choobo stated. She nodded, going off into the forest to go and fulfill her new orders. She was now a pawn in Lothor's game of chess.

* * *

**A/N: I know this is different than the actual episode, but I thought I'd spice things up and have Noelle be the one turned against her friends. Stay tuned to see what happens!**


	6. Cold as Ice

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Once safely away from Toxipod and Noelle in a cave, the rangers tended to Tori's wounds. Blake kept her calm as Shane inspected her arm and leg which hurt her the most. "Nothing major. She's just going to bruise." He said, stepping back as Blake helped her sit up. She looked desperately to her friends.

"What are we going to do? We_ have_ to get her back." She panicked. Dustin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We will. We promise." He told her. "We got Hunter and Blake back, so it will be easy now to get Noelle back." Hunter shook his head.

"It's going to be a bit harder to get her back. This is her first time under Lothor's power, whereas Blake and I had experienced it before. But, it's not a lost cause. Don't worry." He explained. What he didn't say was that he wanted her back more than anything. There was something about Noelle that made him feel pulled towards her. It was the feeling at the pit of his stomach that she was nothing like any of the girls he had met before.

"Come on, let's go try to find her." Blake said, helping Tori stand as the five of them began to exit the cave and walk through the forest. They dodged through the trees, making there way to the beach where the sun shone down on their already tanned faces. "I should mention to you all that I know where we are." Blake said, stopping in the sand. The wind ninjas looked at him incredulously.

"How do you know? I've been trying to contact Cam, but haven't gotten a response."

"I don't know. I overheard Choobo say that this island only surfaces every 2,000 years for one day. And after that day-"

"It sinks. We're doomed." Dustin nervously said. Blake nodded.

"We have to find a way off of this island before it's too late." Shane said to the group. Suddenly, they heard a vicious laughter coming from near them. They looked up to be ambushed by Toxipod.

They all crumbled to the ground, but rebounded quickly. Pulling out their morphers, they morphed into their ranger suits and continued fighting Toxipod, engaging in a shadow battle. Kicks and punches were thrown by all of the rangers, but Toxipod was too strong for them. Tori found herself losing energy, Dustin was starting to bruise, Shane was growing tired, and Hunter and Blake couldn't face Toxipod's power.

"We need to summon the Storm Striker!" Called Shane, as he, Tori, and Dustin brought their weapons together. "Shoot!" He cried, as they blasted Toxipod to ashes. They cheered as they rejoined together.

"Come on, we don't have a ton of time." Tori stated, motioning the team to follow as they continued their search.

* * *

A while later, the rangers found themselves wandering the beach again in their suits. They had gone into the forest to search for Noelle, but were unsuccessful, so they returned to the place where it started. Kicking their feet in the sand, the ninjas tried to think of a plan to find her. Unbeknownst to them, Noelle was watching them at that very moment.

"Well what do we have here..." She cooed devilishly as she circled her once friends, as a tiger does it's prey, still in her snow white ranger suit. "A band of merry travelers. Well I'm about cut your trip short." Noelle stated, getting into a fighting stance, ready to spring forward at any moment. Tori looked to Shane and Dustin.

"I can't fight her." She spoke solemnly in a hushed tone. Over the past couple of days, Noelle had become the best friend that Tori never had. Dustin nodded.

"It's fine, we can take her-" Dustin started.

"No. I'll do it. This is my fault that she's like this. That shot was meant for me." Hunter interrupted. He stepped forward. "I'm sorry for this." He spoke tenderly, looking down to her, as he was taller. He then began to fight. He was stronger, but she was agile. He would throw punches, and she would dodge quickly, but would get hit every now and then. "Noelle, you've got to listen to me. You're being influenced by Lothor. You're one of us-" He tried to say, but was cut off by Noelle punching him roughly in the chest.

"You _destroyed _the only place where I felt at peace. You must pay." She choppily said, dodging Hunter's hits.

The others had moved away from the two, as Choobo decided to make an appearance. They were too occupied to help Hunter out. Noelle pulled out her ice sword, a weapon wielded for her by her old sensei, and Hunter took out his Thunder sword. The two continued to punch and slice until Hunter knocked the wind out of the girl as she fell to the ground, contorting in pain. He kneeled down beside her, taking a hold of her shoulders and shaking her lightly.

"Noelle snap out of it! We're your friends. Lothor is the one who destroyed your Academy! Not us! He destroyed my home, and killed my parents. We are fighting against him!" He screamed to her, trying to get her to understand. She paused and clutched her helmet.

"It's not true. It's not true. You're lying." She cried in anguish, as so many thoughts buzzed through her head. She was listening to what Choobo told her, but she wanted to go with what her heart said.

"Noelle, look at me." Hunter said, the visor of his helmet lifting up, revealing his face and his eyes. "We're your friends."

As she looked into his eyes, everything clicked. She knew that the ninjas were her friends. Toxipod's spell suddenly vanished, the green on her white suit disappearing. She demorphed, revealing her dirty blonde hair, and her eyes changing from a neon blue to their regular vibrant green color.

"...Hunter?" She asked unsteadily. "What's going on?" Hunter sighed in relief. She looked down at her hand to see her sword in it. Startled, it clattered to the ground.

"You're back." He said as he helped her up, mostly carrying her weight since she was weak. "You were turned evil by Choobo and Toxipod, like what happened to me."

"Did I hurt anyone?" She asked nervously, motioning to the sword. He shook his head vigorously.

"No, not at all." Hunter assured her. Looking behind him, he saw Tori, Dustin, Shane, and Blake running towards them. "Here comes everyone else." Tori was the first to reach them, giving Noelle a huge hug.

"Elle! Are you okay?" She asked. Noelle nodded, taken aback by the new nickname.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, standing upright on her own without support. "Guys, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"It's not your fault." Shane said. "Lothor's power is incredibly strong. That could have been any of us." He explained to her. Shane then turned to Hunter. "Good news, I got in touch with Cam. He's sending our Zords over here as we speak. He found the island." Hunter grinned.

"Great." He said. Hearing something emerge from the water, the team turned to see their Megazords rising from the sea. The team cheered, and ninja streaked into their respective Megazords, disappearing into the waves as the Island slowly started to sink.

* * *

"Blake and Hunter, will you join the team in the fight to battle Lothor?" Sensei Watanabe asked the Crimson and Navy ninjas. The team had arrived back at Ninja Ops after escaping the island.

The brothers looked at each other and exchanged looks. With a smile, they turned back to Sensei.

"Of course we will." They said in sync. The Wind and Ice ninjas cheered, hugging their new teammates as the sun set over Blue Bay.


End file.
